


Downpours

by orphan_account



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, GARDENING JAMES RHODES !!!!, Halloween vibes, Hurt Tony Stark, Identity Reveal, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, POV Alternating, Parent Tony Stark, Pre-Relationship, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Secret Identity, Steve Rogers Feels, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, a lil angst, but it isn't even a big deal lol, fall vibes!!, friendly avengers, i guess, oh my god Steve has a CRUSH on TONY??? be still my heart, teenage boys and their horrific diets, their nice :), we now have ✨✨
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:02:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26012320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Peter spends his first night at Mr. Stark’s tower. When he wakes up, it’s raining.Steve needs to take shelter when an unexpected downpour hits Manhattan, soaking him to his skin; he’s always welcome at Tony’s.no need for plot here just a rainy morning of blossoming love
Relationships: Peter Parker & Steve Rogers, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 16
Kudos: 182





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is so embarrassing.. that I'm literally posting this. I can barely write... but whatever that's literally fine  
> also tony stark held babies in orphanages in the comics. so beautiful I can barely breathe. what an icon
> 
> warning for chap two: there's a bomb but tony's fine lol chapter two isn't necessary but it's just a fun addition idk

Peter didn’t usually sleep well. There would be a scream, or the stench of garbage outside of his bedroom window, and he’d spend a few minutes anxiously wondering if he should get up, put on the suit, but the adrenaline would die off. He’d get one or two hours, usually. If he was unlucky, he’d stay up as late as he could, darting in front of would-be criminals and trying to help. After Homecoming, the curfew fell apart, and he stayed out as late as he needed. 

In his room at his apartment, everything was real. Gritty and all around him. He couldn't just do nothing because the screams were  _ in _ his ears. He was on the third floor, and the noises of Queens drifted to him no matter what he did. Then came the urge to help, like always. Get on the ground.

He understood a little better why Tony didn’t have that same need. Up here in the Tower, the walls were soundproofed and they were high enough anyway, so tall that it was like he was the only thing existing. Some people paid money to get this high up. It was pretty, too. The streets were just twinkling lights. He was alone with his thoughts.

The carpet was soft under his bare feet as he peered out the window and watched his city go by. An urge grew to jump. It would be so nice! Free falling, wind collapsing beneath him as he laughed, and then he would catch himself and keep swinging. No one would expect Peter Parker, dressed in a Captain America pajama shirt, to fall from Stark Tower. No one at all. ‘Peter, I’ve been informed that you need to be in bed by midnight.’

‘Yeah, Friday, I know,’ he replied, smiling. ‘It’s really pretty down there.’ 

‘Colonel Rhodes agrees. He’s the one who suggested you get a corner room. I’m glad you like it, but I’m going to insist you go to bed. Sleep keeps you strong, you know!’ she said, quoting one of the pamphlets Mr. Stark had given him after he’d told him about the burning plane and the phantom, tangled grip of metal edges on his chest. 

‘Got it, Fri.’ He ambled over to the bed, picking up his hot water- it had a little lemon in it, too!- and sitting on the mattress. May worked really hard, and they had  _ enough _ , but it was so nice at Stark Tower. Tony had burnt a lot of cash customizing a whole room for him, with a mattress that sank into your back and a big desk facing out the window where he could draft up whatever he wanted. 

He looked down at the mug, setting it aside, and scooted under the covers. He could take advantage of the quiet, at least. And sleep.

______________

Peter woke up to the sound of rain. It came down in steady droves against the full length window, so wholly unexpected that he just blinked for a second. ‘Wow!’ The sheets of water wouldn’t help him to swing around the city, but they were gorgeous to look at. He glanced to the door, listening closely. It sounded like Tony was already up. 

‘Friday, what’s for breakfast?’ 

‘Anything you want, Mr. Parker,’ she replied. ‘Would you like to place an order?’ 

He bit his lip. ‘Maybe not today.’ It was too much. 

He padded down the hallway to the fancy kitchen. ‘I didn’t know you were the kind of guy to get dressed for breakfast, Mr. Stark,’ he said, leaning against the doorway and smiling sleepily. Mr. Stark had glasses on, a cashmere sweater with soft pants and socks. All he was missing was the sport coat and shoes sitting on the counter. 

‘You eat breakfast in your pajamas? Disappointing,’ he replied, pointing his spoon at Peter and shaking his head. ‘I thought you were a go-getter!’ He stuck another spoonful of yogurt in his mouth, yawning. ‘What do you want for breakfast? Friday will help you order, all I have here is yogurt and unripe cantaloupe. Unless you want to go low calorie?’ he asked, raising his eyebrows. 

Peter laughed softly. ‘No, I need a lot. Did you have a good night?’ 

‘Yeah, yeah. You haven’t been sleeping too well, have you? How was your night?’ he asked, squinting through the lenses of his glasses. Peter nodded. 

‘Yeah, yeah. Really good.’ Peter smiled, biting the inside of his cheek. Mr. Stark was just so  _ intimidating _ . He was a legend. 

‘Why don’t you order from the brunch place on the corner, it’s popular. Friday?’ 

‘I’ll provide a menu on the holo-table,’ she replied smoothly. ‘Unfortunately, sir, I need you to look away so you don’t get tempted.’ Tony rolled his eyes. 

After inspection of the men, Peter looked up. ‘Eggs benedict. Please.’

‘ _ Just _ eggs benedict?’ Tony asked. 

Peter could have  _ two _ ? That was a treat. ‘And blueberry butter waffles?’ 

‘And blueberry butter waffles. Get them delivered to the elevator and then bring them up, okay? I have a half day today, we can do whatever you want. Movies, puttering around in the lab, I could teach you to drive. Whatever you like. If you want, you can even just go out and patrol.’

‘’No, no. That’d be rude.’ Peter frowned. 

Tony reached out and ruffled his hair. ‘Whatever you say, kid. What about a movie?’ He stood up, stretching and pouring himself another cup of coffee. Peter shrugged. Pretty much anything would be cool. ‘Dead Poets Society? I saw that one when I was a kid… Clueless? Teenagers like that one, don’t they? Oh, that’s the one where she starts sleeping with her step-brother, not a good example. Don’t you like Star Wars?’ 

Peter laughed, picking up the biggest mug in the cabinet, a Hulk head, and filling it with the remainder of the pot and a bunch of creamer. Before breakfast, he’d need a snack. There were puffy cheetos in the top cabinets and ice ceam in the freezer, that would be good. He clambered onto the counter, grabbing the orange bag and throwing it back. His coffee wobbled, full nearly to the brim, so he slurped some of it up. ‘Yum yum yum,’ he muttered. ‘Mr. Star, what kind of coffee creamer do you buy? Normally May gets Irish creamer from Bailey’s so I’m not allowed to use it.’

‘Hazelnut? I’m not sure. You use it all?’ Peter smiled apologetically. 

‘Yeah. Sorry.’ He shook the empty container at Tony before tossing it away. He tore open the cheetos and looked into the freezer. ‘You know, Mr. Stark, you said that you didn’t have any food but you just weren’t creative.’ There was chunky monkey and cherry garcia, and Mr. Stark was on a diet, so  _ he  _ wasn’t going to eat it. 

‘Hey, don’t eat all my ice cream!’ Mr. Stark protested. 

‘You’re on a diet to impress Captain America!’ Peter replied, spinning around and grabbing a spoon. 

‘It isn’t to impress Steve, it’s for health purposes. And it’s called a  _ lifestyle change _ ,’ Mr. Stark replied, shooting him a bitchy look.    
  
Peter ducked his head, drinking more coffee. ‘Yeah, yeah.’ There wasn’t very much chunky monkey, just three spoonfuls. ‘Can I finish this?’ 

‘Sure,’ Tony griped. ‘Eat me out of house and home, will you!’

Peter laughed a little, warming his fingers on the coffee mug. It was just so pretty outside. All he wanted to do was curl up with a blanket and lay, watch the rain. It sounded so  _ nice _ ! It was utterly quiet, peaceful for once. ‘Penny for your thoughts?’ 

‘It’s just like vacation,’ Peter said. ‘I like it here.’ 

‘Hey, boss, the food is in the elevator,’ Friday told them. Peter perked up, vaulting over the counter and leaping through the rest of the hallway. 

‘Whoa, someone’s excited.’ Peter beamed, grabbing the boxed up food. 

‘It looks really good. Do you smell that?’ he responded. 

‘Why don’t I start the movie, you can have your breakfast in the TV room,’ Tony told him, patting him on the shoulder and moving past him. 

‘Okay!’ Peter frowned. Coffee, blueberry butter waffles, eggs, cheetos, ice cream. Was that too much? He only needed double the normal caloric intake of a normal human, but he was growing, too, and constantly healing, and he burned like 3000 calories every time he went out to help Queens. This would be a good amount. He piled the food on the boxes, stacking up to his chin, and wandered through the hallway. 

‘I put on Dead Poets Society,’ Tony informed him. Peter hadn’t watched that movie before. It looked good.

‘Okay.’ He collapsed onto the couch, grabbing his fork and putting his feet up on the ottoman. You’d expect a billionaire to have a cold house, full of empty space and couches for show, but this was nice. Comfortable. 

The waffles were covered in thick whipped cream and the eggs had three slices of bacon on the side. He had a sneaking suspicion the whole meal had cost a  _ lot _ of money, but Tony had the money. He could spend it however he wanted. ‘Good?’

Peter hummed in agreement as the credits finally finished and the movie began. He was just finishing his last few bites of egg and getting ready to start in on the cheetos and ice cream again when he felt a weight on his shoulder. Peter froze. 

Mr. Stark was asleep. Peter’s eyes were round. This was so weird, he was just sleeping on Peter’s shoulder like all was well. He snuck a peek down, just to check, and yup, Mr. Stark was definitely asleep. Huh, that was… weird. And now he was repeating the same six thoughts over and over again. He looked back to the screen, curious, dropped the ice cream and the bag of cheetos on the coffee table, finally settling back into the couch. He didn’t want to wake him up, that would be bad etiquette, right? Right. 

Eventually, Peter fell asleep too. 

______________

Steve parked his motorcycle in Tony’s private garage, shaking his leather jacket out so the water dripped off and putting his helmet on the shelves. ‘Friday, he up there?’ he called, stepping into the elevator. It was his day off and he’d gone for a ride down from the Compound, meaning to pick up bagels, but it was too wet. He had to stop in at the Tower and wait for the pouring rain to subside. 

‘He is up there,’ she replied. She didn’t quite have the warm, smooth voice that Jarvis had, but she was getting there. 

‘Hey, could you take me up to the penthouse?’ he asked Friday, shaking his hair out and wiping the rain off of his forehead. He dried off quick, thanks to the serum, since he absorbed water through his skin a little faster and he always ran hot. Even still, he was relieved when the elevator put on a low fan to get the worst of the damp off of him. 

‘Certainly,’ she answered smartly, taking them up. 

On the ground, it wasn’t so nice, but up here, the rain was… incredible. Quiet but everywhere. Droplets on windows, streaking down the sides of the building, pitter pattering out on the balcony. He peeked into the kitchen first; if Tony was working from home, he did it in there. There was a suit jacket, expensive looking, but no Tony. Steve poked his head into his bedroom, vaguely remembering a desk there, but again, nothing but rain. He had wanted to spend an afternoon with his old friend, but maybe Tony had already gone out. Well, Friday had confirmed for Steve that Tony was here  _ somewhere _ .

‘Tony?’ he said one last time, peering into the living room. 

Steve’s breath caught. He was there, but he was asleep, hugging a teenager to his side as Dirty Dancing played out on the television. He approached on light footsteps, looking down at the two of them. 

He pushed away the notion that Tony had a son, that made his stomach twist tight. A son implied a mother, and Tony hadn’t been with anyone for a long time- at least, no one but hook ups. They had the same soft, floppy hair, though. It was sweet. Steve stepped back, eyebrows raised. ‘What’s going on here?’ he whispered to Friday, a little amused.

‘Aghh-, whatsit?’ Tony asked, jostling awake. He blinked at the screen, then towards Steve. Then the boy. Slowly, he extricated himself from the cuddle, tucking an afghan around the kid’s shoulders. 

‘What’s this? This isn’t like when you held the babies, is it?’ Tony faltered, chuckling a little. 

Steve leaned against the doorframe, looking meaningfully at the kid. ‘It’s not like the orphanages, okay? I can’t believe you remembered,’ Tony laughed. ‘What’re you doing here, Rogers?

Steve could scarcely forget about the babies for a day. Tony had hosted three orphanages in New York alone, never mind the far flung Russian ones, the ones with parks outside and plenty of soft blankets. It had been in the news cycle for a day or two, but most everyone had forgotten about it by the time Steve caught Tony sneaking out to hold the babies one night, one with nightmares caught in the hooks of his genius mind. He didn’t forget about the babies, not at all. 

‘Huh- oh, it’s raining,’ he said absently. ‘I was on the bike and I didn’t want to risk it. Who’s the kid?’

‘Ballet student. He’s helping with some new tech for precision training. And you know how I am with kids, I just had to make sure he ate breakfast and had a movie break. Like I said, you know how I am with kids!’ he said, making a grand gesture with his arms, all magnanimous. 

He craned his head to get another look at the kid. Still sleeping. ‘I do, don’t I?’ His mouth quirked with a smile. ‘Rhodey’s been griping about missing you, you should come visit.’ Tony nodded, keeping the conversation going. Steve should really do this more often, Tony was a great talker despite his other flaws. Easygoing, easy on the  _ eyes _ … Now where did that thought come from?

______________

Peter stirred awake, not opening his eyes at first. He stretched out, turning his head from side to side before yawning like a lion. Eventually, his head tipped back over the armrest and he opened his eyes. Just like that, his senses came on. Melted ice cream on the table, the low blare of a TV, a downpour outside, voices in the kitchen. He rolled off of the couch, eyeing the melted ice cream and old bag of cheetos. 

‘Steve, if you talk about that  _ one more time _ , I swear, the Iron Man suit is coming back out of retirement, it’s- oh, hey, Pete. Good nap?’ 

‘Uh, yeah, Mr- Mr. Stark,’ he said, looking at the other man in the room. It had to be Cap, right? He didn’t have any make-up on, or body oil like in those promotional pictures, so Peter didn’t  _ totally _ recognize him, but it had to be Captain America. 

‘So, Pete, I heard you do ballet. You must be pretty good if Tony’s using you as a tester for his tech,’ he complimented. Peter’s eyes widened. 

‘Yeah, yeahh, uh.’ He scratched the back of his head, ignoring the way Tony rolled his eyes. ‘I’m not very technically good, but I try really hard.’ 

‘Oh, are you improving with what he’s been doing? What’s the device about, Tony?’ He had the air of a well-meaning adult asking about school. Peter chewed on his lip. 

‘Plies, measurements, things like that. Peter is part of a really big class, so the teacher can’t correct him all of the time,’ Tony supplied. Peter smiled bashfully. 

‘That’s right. I- I’m Peter Parker, sir.’

Cap laughed. ‘I forgot all about introductions! Steve Rogers, nice to meet you. If he’s awake, Tony, I should get going,’ he said, leaning in to kiss Tony on the cheek before leaving. 

‘No, stay!’ Tony cried. They caught each other’s eyes for a moment, before Mr. Rogers backed off. They were definitely in love, right? They looked like it. 

‘I couldn’t. Nice meeting you, Peter.’ 

‘Seriously, Steve, I’m taking the day off, I was going to drive Peter up to the Botanical Gardens. Come with us,’ Tony coaxed. 

Peter didn’t understand the conversation they were having with their eyes, but he wasn’t oblivious to it. He toed the floor, thinking about good ways to change his suit and make it more functional. It was perfect the way it was, of course, but he needed something a little stretchier. Too many circuitboards crowded him in as it was. ‘Tony, I don’t-’

‘Seriously, Steve. You know how it is.’

‘I do love it,’ Mr. Rogers admitted. Peter frowned. They could be talking about anything. But it had even been featured in the news once or twice, Iron Man and Captain America and their famed silent conversations. 

‘ _ Steve _ .’

‘Fine,’ Mr. Rogers eventually sighed. 

Peter looked up, anxiously looking between the two of them. ‘Okay, Pete, socks on, shoes on, where’s my coat- there it is. We’re off to the Botanical Gardens. What car do you want to take, kiddo?’

‘... The Audi?’

‘Sounds good to me.’ Mr. Rogers stood up to grab a pack of trail mix from the cupboard.    
  
Suddenly, Peter smacked a hand to his forehead. ‘I forgot my cheetos!’ 

Mr. Stark rolled his eyes. ‘Go get ‘em, kid. We’ll be waiting on you.’ 

  
He took off at an easy run- well, for him, an easy run was a normal person’s sprint- to the living room. They must have forgotten about his enhanced healing, because Mr. Rogers, in a fond voice, started talking about him. ‘That kid is a keeper, Tony. I know you don’t do commitment-’ He sounded sad, then, like he missed Tony greatly. Mr. Rogers sighed. ‘I know you don’t do commitment, but keep him around,’ he said gently. 

‘I plan on it, Cap. You ready to go, yet?’ Peter raced back to the kitchen, smiling brightly despite himself. He was a keeper, even  _ Captain America  _ thought so. 

‘I’m ready. Hopefully the rain doesn’t mess up the trip!’ Mr. Stark chuckled, awkwardly placing an arm around Peter’s shoulder. 

‘It won’t, kid. I promise.’ They moved to the elevator. ‘Coming, Steve?’

He looked fond, happy, staring at Steve Rogers. Peter hadn’t seen that on him before. 

On the other side of the silver elevator door, Mr. Rogers had the same kind of look on his face. They would be a good couple, Peter thought, and he was wistful, too, the same way Mr. Rogers was wistful when he looked at Tony’s face. Indulgent with love. They  _ would _ be a good couple.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter conspires to bring two surprisingly resistant superheroes together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a chapter two by request ♥♥

Peter, after that first night at Stark Tower, met Captain Rogers at the Avengers Compound. Apparently, Mr. Stark thought it was appropriate or something to introduce him to his friends. They'd had a good day. A really good day. Peter still softened when he thought about it. The rain, the warm food, the Italian restaurant they'd visited. 'You nervous?' 

Peter was still chewing at his lip, looking out the window, when Tony spoke. 'Huh? Oh, no, not really.' 

Mr. Stark raised his eyebrows. 'Sure, kiddo. Nat's going to be there, watch out for her. She's a dancer, she'll want to ask all sorts of questions. Whether or not you're on pointe yet,' he said fondly, lips twisting with a wry smile. 'Rhodey. You know him already. Honeybear's great, he'll watch out for you. I'm going to be introducing you to Sam and Wanda, too. She's a little intimidating but I think you'll really get along with her. Sam tries to hide it, but he's a robotics nerd. He likes to play it cool, but...' He laughed, shaking his head. 

Peter studied his face. 'Anyone else?' he asked tentatively. 

Mr. Stark gave him a look, smiling despite himself. 'Steve. Of course, he's the leader. I mean, you've seen the Compound before, yeah, of course, um...' He trailed off. 'Sorry. Lost my train of thought.' There had to be something going on there. Mr. Stark was only trying to distract himself from all the longing, knowing looks he and Captain Rogers had exchanged. 

'It's fine. How much longer?' Tony checked the dash of their two-seater.   
  
  


'Couple minutes. Lay it on me, though, kid. What are you nervous about? Who's the big Avenger for you? Come on. You aren't bullshitting me with your aloofness. There has to be someone making you worried. I'm here for you.' Peter rolled his eyes. Tony sounded so awkward. 

'No one. I think it's cool to meet so many icons, though,' he said excitedly, shifting in his seat. The Compound came into view. 'I mean, I just think that Scarlet Witch could, like, eat me alive.' 

Tony's glasses dropped down his nose. 'Tell me you don't have some sort of crush on her,' he said, shaking his head. 'She _would_ eat you alive. I would be scared for you if you dated Wanda.'

Peter paused. 'Isn't she, like, Russian? I don't know what to say, Mr. Stark. That's hot.' 

Tony inhaled, holding up a hand in warning. 'Peter. _Peter_. We have all been there. Monaco! Paris! Moscow! Twice in Siberia, for some reason! Everything about Natasha... You may think Russian is your favorite flavor, but they'll match your batshit. You'll spend 2000 dollars on vodka because they have such a good alcohol tolerance... you'll be left in bed with only the underwear they cut off of you last night to show for your hard work.' Peter's mouth dropped open. 

'You have to stop talking. Mr. Stark, you can't tell me these things!' he said. 

'Peter in distress, huh?' he asked, amused. The turn signal flicked on; they'd reached the driveway. 'Anyway, kiddo, Wanda is Sokovian. Not Russian. In a couple years, maybe, too, she's a fair bit older than you.' They pulled into a parking spot with a fancy sign that had an Iron Man suit on it. 

'Okay, I mean, I was just, like, giving my opinion. She seems really pretty and nice in the interviews.' Peter wilted. He didn't have a chance. Mr. Stark was his biggest cheerleader, and even Mr. Stark thought he didn't have a chance. 

He slung an arm over Peter's shoulders. 'Trust me, kid, she's out of your league. Hey, everyone gathered up, Fri?'

'Yes, boss. In the kitchen.' 

'Oh, you'll like this. They renovated the kitchen, you know, it's very bright. Before, it was- industrial? I don't know how to describe it. But now, it's the perfect home-'

'Welcoming, clean, design decisions made by yours truly?' Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow (wow!) finished his sentence. 'It's nice to meet you, Mr. Parker. I can't say I've heard a lot about you, but I'm looking forward to learning more.' Peter had expected her to be cold, somehow. Instead, she was maybe a little cautious, guarded, but she smiled really nicely.

Peter wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. 'Nice to meet you.' His voice cracked. Coughing, embarrassed, he tried to recover himself. 'Nice to meet all of you,' he squeaked. 

Rhodey was smiling in amusement, matching Tony's evil grin. 'Good to see you again, Pete. Working on anything cool?'

'Oh, when I ran into them the other day, they'd been developing a new technology for ballet? I don't think I caught what it was about. Distracted by all the food.' There was Captain Rogers again!

Yeah, Peter had been really nervous, but he knew a lot of the people. Captain Rogers and Rhodey, plus Tony, of course. He's sort of expected Mr. Stark to wander off so he could talk with his friends the moment they got there, but he was right there, hand resting on Peter's shoulder. 'Right now, I'm trying to get on pointe,' he bullshitted. The Black Widow nodded, understanding. 

'Nat's a ballerina,' Sam Wilson, the _Falcon_ , added. 'Watch out for her, though, one moment she'll be teaching you second position and the next, you'll be ass over teakettle because she's insisting you do a triple turn,' he joked. 'Sam Wilson. Nice to meet you,' he added. 

'I'm Wanda Maximoff,' Wanda added, tucking her hair behind her ear. It was so weird that they were all equally anxious. 

'Is that everyone? I think so. Now, we have a whole list of fall activities planned.' Peter stifled a smile. He hadn't known before, but Mr. Stark got into the seasonal spirit more than he liked to admit. He had a whole stash of scented candles, and buried in a closet, while looking for the vacuum cleaner, Peter had found a box of Halloween costumes and decoratons. He didn't want to think about the- sexy fireman? It didn't have much fabric, but he was guessing fireman- that he'd seen. 

'Rhodey grew a bunch of pumpkins we could carve. He has a green thumb, you know that? It reminds me of my mom, she had the best tomatoes every summer,' Sam commented to Tony. 

'That's awesome! Are they huge or normal-sized? Are we carving them?' Peter asked. 

'Have you met me? Of course they're huge,' Rhodey bragged. Peter must have made a face, because Mr. Wilson and Mr. Stark both burst out into laughter.

'Oh, honeybear, everything about you is huge,' Tony said. 'Look at these biceps? How big did you say they were?' Peter backed up, avoiding Mr. Stark's cooing. He ran right into Captain Rogers, also known as the brick wall of the Avengers. 

'Oh, sorry.' 

'No problem, kid. Tony's overwhelming,' he said, nodding ahead. 'I mean, he's great, but very extroverted. You know, the first time I went to a party with him, my whole job was to hold his beer. I had a nickname by the end of the night... what was it?' he wondered, exchanging a look with Peter. 'Well, that kind of thing. It's all good and well when it's only you and him, but then you get twenty of his closest friends with him and you're watching as he lights up the room.' 

Peter smiled awkwardly, looking up ahead to where Mr. Stark was leading them out the back door. Peter still had his coat and shoes on. He'd been to the Compound before, but never these parts. Tony was right, it was homey and pretty. Chairs and a big couch gathered around a warm coffee table, with another doorway leading into some sort of study. It was the formal living room- wow!- they'd already passed the one with the TV, right away when he'd first been introduced. He peered around, curious. A hallway shot off, three open doors. 'That's my room, in there,' Wanda said tentatively. 

'You live here, right! That's super cool,' Peter said. 'Is everyone on this floor, or...?'

'This is our wing,' Captain Rogers said, gesturing around. 'Two levels, a basement for the private labs. Natasha, earlier, she was saying that she planned out all the renovations and decorating. It was really incredible. There's a bridge connecting us to the business parts of the facility, but we do our training here, our cooking and living. My bedroom and my office are down here, so is Wanda, but most of us live on the upper floor.' 

'Wow,' Peter breathed. He knew that it wasn't luxury to have so much space when they were upstate, plus there were so many of them, but it still felt incredible. 

'Ladies and gents, I present to you, honeybear's big-ass pumpkins!' Mr. Stark flung the back door open, a gust of fall air breezing in. 

Bright leaves still sat on the trees, sunlight shining through the little garden. The other side of the Compound was still bustling, Peter could hear it, with cars and jets, transporting important things, but it was quiet and lovely. 'See, this one's got the fattest ass, I call her Betsy. This one, Rodrigo, is smaller, but he does pack a punch,' Rhodey demonstrated, patting two lovingly. 

'Of course, look at that bright orange,' Mr. Wilson filled in. 

'I think there's enough for all of us?' he asked, squinting through the bright sun. 'One, two, three, four, five, six- ah fuck.'

'Language,' Tony reminded him, subtly nodding to Peter. At least, it was an attempt to be subtle.   
  


'Well, someone's going to have to share.' 

'I'll do it,' Captain Rogers volunteered immediately. 

Sam snorted. Peter barely caught it, but with super-hearing, he could hear almost everything. 'Of course,' Mr. Wilson muttered. Steve looked at Tony hopefully.

Mr. Stark had the same kind of hope on his face, a little longing and unsure of if it was his place. 'I'll share with you, Steve. What are we going to do? Happy, sad, or scary?' 

'Actually, I was thinking of something artistic. I saw on, you know, Instagram, these people were doing such pretty, elaborate carvings, and I have a steady hand. We could work something out?' he questioned, matching Tony's pace and leaning down to inspect a pumpkin. 

'Does he know he's not being subtle?' Peter asked Wanda quietly. 

She laughed, shaking her head knowingly. 'Not a clue.'

'You see it already? It's almost sad,' Mr. Wilson interjected. 'Stark knows that Steve's interested; Steve knows that Stark wouldn't be opposed to his brand of charm. What's the hold-up? They're already running the Avengers, like co-parents. It's ridiculous!'

'I spent, like, three hours with them and I can tell that they're definitely in love.' They were kneeling down, feeling out on of the six pumpkins. Captain Rogers turned to catch Mr. Stark's eye, and they stared just a second too long. 'It's like a bad romance novel. It was raining, that day in New York? And they got caught without an umbrella.'

'Like in the Notebook?' Wanda asked, her Sokovian accent thick. She really was pretty. Thick, brown hair, a quick smile. But Peter really saw what Mr. Stark meant. She was too old for him, too, like, mature. 

'It was probably on purpose. Tony likes seeing those shirts Steve wears wet,' the Black Widow supplied. 'We should get started before they hear us gossiping.' Peter snorted, looking over at a pumpkin. When he turned around again, no one was there. Rhodey was showing off more of his pumpkins and Captain Rogers was hauling the biggest one onto his shoulders. Mr. Stark caught his eye, checking in. Peter shot him a thumbs up. 

* * *

The next time Peter met all the Avengers together, it was under Spider-man's mask for a mission. A Baby Mission, Tony called it, to clear an old nest of AIM's. 

Except it wasn't old. It was alive, crawling with armed agents, and everyone but Mr. Stark was in light armor. _bloodbath,_ someone called it later that night, while they were pretending to recuperate with hot cups of tea, and instead they were worrying. 

Long story short, Tony'd stepped in front of an explosion to save Steve's life. 

Long story _long_ , well....

They sent Wanda in first. Her powers were most effective at disabling people quietly and efficiently, like they thought they'd need for such a remote, aimless mission. 'There are a fair number of guards at the door,' she told them crisply. 'Iron Man, you must report in. How many have you caught on your heating scanners?' 

'On the outside? Ten, but they're scattered.' Tony was on Team A, with Peter and Sam. Rhodey, Natasha, and Steve were on Team B.

'If we have no further information, I will enter,' she told them. After a moment- 'Clear.'

'The beginning hallway I have entered seems to be less important than the others. I will continue clearing it,' she told them, low-voiced. 

'Spidey, Falcon, you guys are ready, right?' Tony asked. 

'On stand-by,' Mr. Wilson said quietly. 

'I just want to say, on the behalf of _all_ the Avengers, Spider-man , that it's a pleasure to-'

Wanda screamed shrilly, and the fight she was in suddenly blared over her comm line, thumps and even more noises of pain. 'Back-up!' she cried, accent garbling. 

Both groups- the one at the south entrance and the one in the east- took off. Team A was fast, they had the air to use, so they reached the doors first. It had to have been an ambush, because where there were no guards previously, the doors were suddenly swarming with them. 'Assistance is on it's way, Wanda! Iron Man, I want you to provide back-up. If needed, we'll join you, but we're going to try our best to go on with the mission,' Captain Rogers panted. 

  
  
Peter listened with half an ear as he swept someone's legs out. It was quality versus quantity, embarrassingly obvious that the AIM agents couldn't match the skill level of the Avengers. Peter webbed them up, advancing to the ceiling where he could hang them- like a real spider did. Team B was meeting resistance the deeper they went, but Iron Man and the Falcon moved with Peter like butter through their end of the facility. They met up with Wanda, her eyes glowing a chilling, focused red. 

  
A far cry from the dorky, sweet girl he'd carved pumpkins with a week ago. 'Scarlet Witch, status report?' Tony barked, blasting his repulsors, back to back with Wanda. A row of more soldiers approached, Sam taking them out in one fell swoop.

'I am fine, Iron Man, only bruised.' She twisted her hands. 'Just surprised.' And down went the last of the attacking soldiers. Peter breathed, heavy and thick. 

'Move through,' Tony directed, waving them in front of them and shepherding them along like a dad. Peter jumped when their private comm came on. 'Hey, Pete, just wanted to tell you that you need to stand down. Team player is all good until you get hurt or killed, this mission is different than we were expecting. Careful.' Peter scowled a little, even while he knew it was just Tony trying to look out for him. 

Unneeded. Peter could break the Iron Man suit apart with his _bare hands._ If it was a choice between Tony getting his leg snapped in half, spending months in recovery, or Peter who would only need weeks at most? He shook his head and set his jaw. 'Approaching what looks to be a lab. We're going to proceed with caution. Can't be too careful after that time in Missouri,' he joked.

'Got it, Cap, we're approaching an elevator. Want to bet it's rigged?' he asked, putting a little pressure on the bottom. 

'Tony,' Rhodey groaned. 

'Code names,' Steve snapped, before groaning like he'd been punched in the gut. 'Fu- a little back-up here?' 

When Tony spoke next, stepping on the elevator without fear, he'd lost the smile in his voice. 'Coming, Cap. We'll be at your position soon.' With only a few sparse exchanges while the battle downstairs heated up, they were forced to endure a cruel moment of waiting for the elevator to descend. Natasha kept grunting curses and making quiet noises of pain, while Rhodey was silent spare a couple of directions. Captain Rogers sounded horrible. Gritty voice, beaten down, short screams punctuated by a cry for help. 

'I'm coming, Cap, I'm coming,' Tony said over the team comm. The moment the elevator door opened, they spilled out. Sam to the aid of Natasha, Peter and Wanda back to back, Tony firing his repulsors and racing around corners to find Steve. The elevator opened onto a large storage room, barn doors open to the spacious lab scattered with limp bodies. Peter swallowed, terrified of what was coming. He leapt onto the ceiling, flipping down. He could hear Natasha and Sam- they had it handled- and in the distance, Steve and Tony.

Most everyone in the lab was taken care of easily. They had trouble with a woman and a machine gun, but Sam's bulletproof wings did wonders for blocking her bullets. Peter ha dbeen tuning out the comms, tuning them out like everyone did, until he heard a hoarse scream from Captain Rogers. He paused, skidding across the floor and scaling the wall. 'This way,' Rhodey directed, blasting down a hallway. 'Falcon, Scarlet Witch, you take the other way,' he directed. 

Ms. Romanoff prowled down the hallway. If War Machine's bullets or Peter's web didn't take an approaching villain out, she always took care of it quickly. 'Cap, you- what is _that_?'

'Christ.' If Peter could go any faster, he would. He was beginning to become worried for Mr. Stark as bodies piled up behind them. Non-lethal, he'd been before he met the Avengers. What a thought. 

'Get down, Tony!' 

'Steve, _no_ , you-' Mr. Stark's voice was cut off by an explosion rocketing through the walls. 

The world froze. Peter's breathing was heavy, not enough air, as he sprinted faster than he ever had before, stumbling from blast reverberations but still going. Through the comms, though they were blown and tinny, he could hear a shrill scream and an urgent, tragic whisper. 

'Tony, Tony, Tony,' Steve was repeating. Sobbing. Peter's eyes welled with tears. But it wasn't the time. 

  
  
Iron Man was nothing more than a recruiter to Spider-man. To Peter, he was much more, but now wasn't the time. He stifled the tears and kept running. Rhodey asked once, worried, 'Tony?' 

But nothing responded. Tony might as well have been in a void. 

They finally got to the room, panting and ready for anything. Soldiers or agents or Captain America, fighting for his life. Instead, they got Steve Rogers, cradling Tony's head in his hands, tears streaking down his bruised, dirty face. Peter held his breath. 'We need help,' Steve cried again. 

It spurred them into action. 'Hallways are clear. We're advancing to your position,' Sam informed them. Steve was in no state to respond, waiting as Rhodey helped him haul the Iron Man suit. Peter was surprised he could even walk, with the way his gasping cries echoed and his shoulders slumped. 

'Tony,' Steve breathed. 'Tony, you're going to be okay, I promise, I promise.' They were expecting Steve to cry. The man he loved, the one he called home, the one he knew like the back of his hand... it was expected to cry. 

For Peter, it wasn't. So he stayed behind, shutting off his comm and ignoring the worried exchanges about the state of Tony's suit. He slid to the floor in a heap and he cried, too.   
  


* * *

Tony woke up bright and early the next morning. Steve was the only one still in the room, sleepless and waiting as Tony whined with pain. Peter was awake, too, though it seemed like he wasn't since Karen was in sleep mode. Like some voyeur of gentle, easy care, he listened to Steve quietly reciting prayers before his heart, too full, suddenly burst. He tiptoed into the room. 'Spider-man,' Steve said, removed. He was too tired to put some of the welcoming care into his voice he normally did for Spider-man. 

'You should tell him,' Peter whispered. Steve sighed, biting his lip. 

'Not now. It- it's not the right time.' Peter watched him fidget, sighing quietly. 'I don't think it will ever be. Tony's special. He deserves someone special.' 

'Tell him,' Peter repeated, sitting at Steve's feet on the floor. It was far too familiar for Spider-man to lay his head on Steve's leg, but Peter Parker, who stayed at the Tower almost as often as he stayed at home and told Steve about his day before leaving to do some made-up extracurricular... Peter Parker would do it. Steve would find out anyway. 

The mask scratched at his nose when he pulled it off. Steve sputtered. 'Wha- _Peter_?' he hissed, voice shaking in anger. 'I can _not_ believe you'd keep this from us. You, you're just fifteen!' He sounded sick. 'Peter, tell me it isn't...'

'Captain Rogers, you should tell him. When are you going to realize he needs you?' Peter asked, looking at Tony's bloodied, sleeping face. 'Tell him,' he pleaded. 'I know I'm repeating myself, but I think he'd like that. What do you have to lose? He's already thrown himself in the line of fire for you. He's already in deep.'

'I... We're going to talk about that mask thing,' Steve said sternly, without any argument to add for their real argument. 

'Gotcha. I already have a curfew and everything,' Peter joked. 'Captain, though, you...'

'I know.'

The next morning, Tony woke, grumbling and a little scared. Peter listened quietly as Steve told him. Stumbling, and heartsick, and quiet, and true. Peter smiled, knowing that it was, for now, okay. 

**Author's Note:**

> comments?? comments???? comments?? constructive criticism is welcome but if you're mean I'll probably cry!!
> 
> I will probably take prompts! no sequels though


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